We are ready for DVC...but have questions :)

[KAT4DISNEY]

You *love* BC?

Buy BC.

Although that slightly conflicts with what was stated to be the most important issue - cost. That's when resort love really gets put to the test!

 

[lovewdwfun]

We own at SSR and have never stayed there. Late August should be very easy to get other resorts - we have stayed then and it looked like all of the resorts were available when I checked! If it were me, I would go with SSR because of lower dues.

With our points, we have booked:

September: AKV Kidani studio at 2 months
7 months: BWV standard view 2 bedroom, preferred view one bedroom, BCV one bedroom, BCV studio, BLT one bedroom lake view

April:
AKV one bedroom at 5 months

Late August:
BWV preferred one bedroom at 7 months
Grand Floridian one bedroom standard view at 7 months

When I booked GFV this year for the last week, I think all resorts were available. If you are not going at high demand time of year (eg December), I don't think home resort is crucial myself. If you are flexible in where you stay, you can get a wide variety of resorts . I have always gotten what I wanted and AKV in particular seems to be available at less than 7 months out.

 

[crisi]

Although that slightly conflicts with what was stated to be the most important issue - cost. That's when resort love really gets put to the test!

I'm going to make that unpopular post again.

Disney is expensive, and gets more expensive every year. Park tickets go up faster than inflation, food gets pricier - and it gets harder to split entrees or get a great deal. A year where gas is expensive can mean getting there costs twice as much. Once you decide to buy in - buy in costs are a small part of the overall cost of ownership - dues - but everything else as well since most of us think Disney means parks and dining out.

DVC turns Disney into a commitment. And you can't plan on the costs of a Disney vacation remaining stable. In fact, you can count on them increasing - quickly.

If you love the Beach Club, but it isn't affordable, then VAKL isn't affordable either. Not in the long term. Not because of the cost of the contract but because of the cost of everything else.

(The exception to this is length of contract calculations - VAKL has more years on the contract life - so thirty years out - its a WAY better deal. But if you can't afford BCV now, thirty years of DVC ownership at VAKL is likely to be a financial burden until then. )

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

And I think that's the biggest issue with BCV right now. The high resale prices for a 2042 resort. One gets many more years with other resorts ( SSR and AKV) and they cost less up front. Depending on a purchasers age that might be enough to decide that getting in to one of the 2042 resorts whenever possible is fine, even if you love it.

Of course 2042 is still quite a ways away and going annual that would still be around 25 visits there so for many the length will be fine. It's just going to depend on what specifications of the contract are more important.

 

[bumbershoot]

I didn't get the feeling that cost was an *issue*. It's just a consideration. From my reading of the posts at least. But the thing that came through was the love for BC.

26 years of a timeshare that they *love* isn't a horrible thing to spend money on.


Don't we tell people to buy where they want to stay?

 

[crisi]

I didn't get the feeling that cost was an *issue*. It's just a consideration. From my reading of the posts at least. But the thing that came through was the love for BC.

26 years of a timeshare that they *love* isn't a horrible thing to spend money on.


Don't we tell people to buy where they want to stay?

And if it isn't, just buy what you want. 25 years is a long time to say "I wish we would have been able to get in at the BC."

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

These responses are great. The most important factor is cost, because we are a family of 6 and will need more points than a smaller family would need.

Next, is a zero entry pool and a lot of entertainment for the kids to enjoy as we do not like to do parks every day.

I read that Jambo House has a better pool area and is a little more lively, so if Kidani Village..............

I didn't get the feeling that cost was an *issue*. It's just a consideration. From my reading of the posts at least. But the thing that came through was the love for BC.

26 years of a timeshare that they *love* isn't a horrible thing to spend money on.


Don't we tell people to buy where they want to stay?

They expressly state that it was the most important factor. And asked a question on what the best time would be to get BCV at 7 months while asking questions about the resorts they were considering - AKV and SSR. So, to me they seemed to outline priorities and also understood they would just be attempting to get BCV but were trying to glean info on how often they might expect that.

Now, if a poster is more along the lines of "we LOVE BCV and no where else but don't like the 2042 end date" I'd likely go with buy where you love but when someone says cost is most important and has other factors ranked I'll not be too likely to direct them elsewhere more expensive with shorter expiration. They can figure that out after getting more info. But I'm also not a "buy where you want to stay" person in most situations and am a "buy where you are willing to stay" as with our experience we use points all over - even now as things have tightened up.

 

[Perelandra]

I do financing for a living and ran the numbers in every resort many different ways, and if you are going for value alone SSR wins the day and fairly handily. We often travel in September at a time when home resort is not such a big deal, so with an avg per point price in the upper 70's to low 80's with maintenance dues at $5.44 per point along with one of the furthest out expiration dates (2054) it is the most financially sound. Now, I realize others value home resort more, so that price is not everything, but if that is what you are basing your decison on, then SSR is the way to go.

 

[luvdisneyland]

I have been tracking the availability at 7 months and the BC 2BR are available starting after the first week in Jan so far this coming year. Jan through September availability is pretty good at most resorts except GF - that is a little tougher to get into. Oct to first week in Jan is a busy time for DVC and thus at that time of year you might only be able to book at your home resort.

If you are looking to get the best deal then SSR is the best deal when factoring in price per point and yearly MF's. With that said we were in your shoes and ended up buying at AKV - we stayed on trip at SSR and although it is nice we did not care for the vibe or lack there of,.and you will be able to stay at most if not all DVC with some flexibility with travel times. If you want to get an idea of the resorts, besides reading here sometimes it is helpful to view some youtube videos of that.

Great advice and good to know on the tracking- the last few times I tried to get Beach Club, I couldn't get in, but it was only 2 months in advance..